Multi-well controller

• US 7,950,464 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2007
• Issued: 05/31/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ChampionX LLC (ChampionX Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Production Control Services Incorporated
• Inventors: Atencio, Michael E., Walsh, Mark A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Stephenson; Daniel P
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ro; Yong-Suk
• Application Number:
  US11/669,824
• Publication Number:
  US 20070175640A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,581 Days
• Field of Search: 166/366, 166/250.15, 166/52, 166/53, 166/66, 166/250.01
• US Class Current: 166/360
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/00 Methods or apparatus for obtaining oil, gas, water, soluble or meltable materials or a slurry of minerals from wells applicable only to water E03B
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric

Abstract

An improved multi-well control system (MWCS) has a centrally based multi-well controller (MWC) in communication with one or more slave controllers and one or more electronic flow measurement devices (EFMs) for instant data monitoring and control of individual wells. The system also provides for an application host sub-system (AHSS) in communication with the MWC for historical and instant data retention. The system is capable of assigning one or more wells to a group for allocation purposes and organizing groups dependent on production levels of individual wells. The MWC is capable of tracking gas volumes produced by each well independent of groupings and communicating such data to the AHSS. The MWC provides monitoring and tracking data from one or more EFM devices and assigns total flow volume to individual wells. The entire MWCS can result in the reduction of manpower and an increase in overall production efficiency.

Claims

1. A well control system for operating a plurality of production wells in relation to one another to maximize utilization of shared production facilities comprising flow lines, piping, compressors, compressor stations, tankage, separators or combinations thereof, said system comprising:

at least one aboveground production well controller mounted on a wellhead flow line for each of the plurality of production wells;

each of the plurality of production wells having a flow routable through a meter run/flow line shareable by one or more of the production wells, the meter run/flow line in communication with a shared production facility;

at least one well flow measuring device mounted on the wellhead flow line of each of the plurality of production wells, the at least one flow measuring device being either existing infrastructure or newly installed infrastructure;

a master well controller communicating with one or more of the well flow measuring devices, one or more of the production well controllers or combinations thereof; and

wherein the master well controller can monitor data derived from the one or more well flow measuring devices, one or more production well controllers or combinations thereof, to determine the sequence by which to open or close a surface valve located upstream of the shared production facility based on a portion of the data, thereby opening or closing the one or more production wells in relation to one another so as to enable flow optimization and to reduce the occurrence of bottlenecks at the shared production facility.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the reduction of bottlenecks results from coordinating the operation of a higher producing well having a longer cycle time with the operation of a lower producing well having a shorter cycle time.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one production well controller is either existing infrastructure or newly installed infrastructure.

4. The system of claim 3 further comprising a translator to enable communications between the master well controller and existing infrastructure or newly installed infrastructure, thereby reducing the need to retrofit existing infrastructure.

5. The system of claim 4 further comprising software/firmware that can allow for field-upgradability of the various system components.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the one or more production well controllers comprise software/firmware that can allow operation of a well semi-independently or autonomously in case of equipment failure at the master well controller.

7. The system of claim 3, wherein one or more of the plurality of production wells can be equipped with a plunger lift system controllable by the master well controller or the one or more production well controllers.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the master well controller utilizes a production algorithm to favor lower producing wells having shorter cycle intervals over higher producing wells having longer cycle intervals, thereby allowing the lower producing wells to operate in view of the higher producing wells.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the master well controller utilizes a production algorithm to group one or more lower producing wells or higher producing wells into groups and to determine which groups of wells operate in relation to other groups of wells, thereby allowing a maximization of production.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the master well controller utilizes an accounting algorithm to allocate some or all of a total flow volume to one or more individual production wells for accounting purposes.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the master well controller utilizes an accounting algorithm to allocate a portion of a flow volume to one or more “

phantom”

wells to facilitate an allocation of production, thereby allowing a more fair apportionment of product to an owner/investor, the flow volume being the amount of product residing in a pipeline before an open well shuts in and after another well opens.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more production well controllers can control well production based on a default algorithm if communication with the master well controller is lost.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the master well controller can perform one or more verification tests to determine a communication status with the one or more production well controllers.

14. A well control system for remotely controlling and operating the opening and closing of one or more hydrocarbon production wells in relation to one another for flow optimization purposes, said system comprising:

an aboveground production well controller mounted on a wellhead flow line of a first production well;

a plurality of flow measuring devices, each mounted on a wellhead flow line associated with other production wells, the flow measuring devices being either existing infrastructure or newly installed infrastructure;

the first production well having a flow routable through the plurality of flow measuring devices;

a master well controller communicating with the production well controller, the plurality of flow measuring devices or a combination thereof; and

wherein the master well controller can monitor data derived from the production well controller, the plurality of flow measuring devices or the combination thereof, to determine the sequence by which to open or close a surface valve located upstream of a shared production facility based on a portion of the data, thereby opening or closing the one or more production wells in relation to one another so as to enable flow optimization and to reduce the occurrence of bottlenecks at the shared production facility.

15. The system of claim 14 further comprising a translator to enable communications between the master well controller and a variety of types of existing infrastructure or newly installed infrastructure, thereby reducing the need to retrofit existing infrastructure.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein product from the one or more wells can flow through any one of the plurality of flow measuring devices.

17. A well control system for controlling the opening and closing of a plurality of hydrocarbon production wells in a multiple well facility for flow optimization purposes to reduce the occurrence of flow bottlenecks, said system comprising:

a plurality of production well controllers, each of the plurality of production well controllers mounted at a surface location adjacent a wellhead for a production well producing a flow;

each of the plurality of production well controllers receiving and recording data from a plurality of above ground flow measuring devices; and

at least one master well controller to monitor data derived from the plurality of flow measuring devices, the plurality of production well controllers, or both, and to open/close one or more of the production wells in a sequential relationship with each other based on a portion of the data, thereby adjusting well production for one or more of the production wells in a matter determined to be a maximization of production.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the plurality of production well controllers comprises software/firmware that can allow operation of the respective wells semi-independently or autonomously in case of equipment failure at the master well controller.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein each of the plurality of production wells can be equipped with a plunger lift system controllable by the at least one master well controller.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the at least one master well controller utilizes an accounting algorithm to apportion some or all of a designated flow volume to an individual production well or an illusory well to facilitate an allocation of production.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the maximization of production is established by an examination of the length of well cycle time.

22. A multi-well control system operating a one or more wells or discrete groups of wells based on well production characteristics so as to reduce bottlenecking at a shared production facility, said system comprising:

at least one master well controller communicating with one or more production well controllers each receiving production data from one or more wells, the one or more wells in fluid communication with a shared production facility;

wherein said production data can be used to establish a well grouping configuration comprising one or more wells assignable to one or more discrete well groups, said discrete well groups based on predetermined criteria; and

wherein said at least one master well controller utilizes a control algorithm to restrict the operation of a certain discrete well groups in favor of other discrete well groups to reduce the occurrence of bottlenecking at the shared production facility and to minimize downtime.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the criteria by which said assignment of wells occurs can be based on a production level of said one or more wells.

24. The system of claim 23 further comprising a grouping of one or more wells to regulate one or more higher producing wells in view of lower producing wells, thereby enabling said lower producing wells an opportunity to produce for a period of time.

25. The system of claim 22, wherein the at least one master well controller comprises software/firmware that can contemporaneous modify or field-adjust the operation of the one or more wells based on an analysis of the well production data.

26. The system of claim 22, wherein the one or more production well controllers can operate the one or more wells if communication with said at least one master well controller is lost.

27. The system of claim 22, wherein said synchronization further comprises assigning a dynamic time slot based on said production data to said one or more wells, said dynamic time slot useful for calculating a sequence in which said one or more wells can be opened.

28. The system of claim 27 further comprising modification of said dynamic time slot assigned to said one or more wells based on production data.

29. The system of claim 22, wherein the at least one master well controller can remove one or more wells in a well grouping configuration if communication with one or more associated slave well controllers is lost.

30. A multi-well control system monitoring and allocating production from one or more wells, said system comprising:

at least one master well controller communicating with one or more slave well controllers, each receiving production data from one or more wells, the one or more slave well controllers being either existing infrastructure or newly installed infrastructure;

wherein product from one or more open wells can flow across a respective meter during production, before said one or more open wells shut in and one or more successor wells opens, thereby becoming known as predecessor wells;

wherein an amount of product attributable to said one or more predecessor wells can continue to flow across a respective meter;

wherein said attributable amount of product can be allocated to a specific target, the target being one or more existing wells or an illusory well.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein said one or more successor wells may not be allowed to be open until product flow through said respective meter has diminished to a predetermined set point.

32. The system of claim 30, wherein the illusory well represents product measured between the time that one or more predecessor wells shuts in and one or more successor wells opens.

33. The system of claim 30, wherein at least a portion of the amount of product in an illusory well can be apportioned to a real owner/investor.

34. The system of claim 30 further comprising a translator to enable communications between the at least one master well controller and a variety of types of existing infrastructure or newly installed infrastructure, thereby reducing the need to retrofit existing infrastructure.